10 Top Romance Authors

If you haven’t read much romance and want to ease your way into the genre it can be intimidating. There are literally millions of options in every possible genre you can imagine and some you may not know exist.

Which author out of the hundreds claiming “Best Seller” status are actually worth a try? And how do you avoid the total bombs that make you want to take an eraser to your brain?

One good way to begin is with the top authors from the genre and explore their works to see which sounds worth a shot.

*Like any other type of reading, romance is subjective.* One person’s favorite author is an author someone else can’t stand. I’ve done my best with this list to find ten authors who are generally agreed to be the top choices by reader votes from many different websites. Happy reading!

Roberts is the acknowledged Queen of Romance. Her characterization is flawless, her dialogue snappy, her settings vivid, and she’s famous for her series based around different families. Her best have loving, involved, quirky families that you can’t stop reading about.

The romances are hot, but she keeps it tasteful and never describes with too much detail. She’s an excellent starting place for any reader who wants to fall in love with the genre. With over 200 books in print (that’s not counting her J.D. Robb In Death series) there’s plenty to chose from, but here are four ideas for you.

Mary Balogh is a Duchess of Regency romance along with Georgette Heyer (Heyer wrote Regency decades before Balogh, in the 1920s).

She’s a sneaky author. At first the books seem to be moving slowly and you wonder why you’re still reading. All of a sudden you’re laughing while you read the main characters exchanging some witty banter and then somehow you can’t put the book down.

Regency is a super popular period to set romance in, exclusively in England from 1810-ish to 1820. Her romance is always sweet, never explicit, although she does work sex in more than you’d expect for the 1820s. If you can’t get enough of Jane Austen period dresses, balls, manners and dialogue then Mary Balogh and Regency romance is for you.

Another Regency author, her fans can’t rave enough about her characterization. No simpering, gullible, weak characters, every single Quinn heroine is smart and self-assured.

Sneaking in the feminism level=boss. Her heroes are complicated, kind men who aren’t cut out of the Alpha cookie cutter mold other authors use. Readers also enthuse about her fast-paced plots (all this without explosions or ninjas or super secret spies) and the natural way she infuses her books with humor.

Heat level = spicy. If you like Jane Austen period conventions with a more modern, fast-moving story this author is for you.

Finding a top author who doesn’t come from the super popular historical or contemporary camp is difficult. Bella Forrest rises to the challenge with her fantastical settings and driving tension.

Her books contain more angst than some other authors on this list, and lean towards a more young adult audience. There’s starting to be quite a bit of crossover between YA and romance lately (and by crossover I mean “99% of YA books contain a romance and 80% of those contain the dreaded love triangle plot”).

Heat level=warm to hot. If you lean more towards YA and want your romance somewhat blood-spattered Forrest is the author for you.

Best known for her historical novels, readers rave about Garwood’s settings and humorous dialogue. And she manages this while setting her books far back in history. So far back they’re considered medieval.

Heat level-medium to hot without being too explicit. If you’re into the Highlands, Scottish Lairds, and arranged marriages to antagonistic English brides this author is for you.

Considered a “classic” romance author (she started writing in the 1980s) readers love Deveraux’s complicated characters and again, the dialogue. It seems to be a theme that if you write the great dialogue their hearts and minds will follow!

A word of warning, the 1980s was a period of sometimes over-the-top explicit sex scenes in romance so go into her books with that caution.

Without apology, Scott writes super steamy romances and guess what, sex sells. She’s on the list because her readers defend her fiercely and insist that her writing is about more than just bedroom scenes.

They love her redemption stories and the intense emotion she infuses her relationships with. She’s also one of the authors who have ushered in the recent trend of billionaire romances (along with, yes, E.L. James).

If you like lush settings, private jet dates to Paris and straight-up sex with no vague wording this author, and possibly a cold shower, are for you.

A relatively new niche in mainstream publishing, LGBT romance is growing and changing every year as more authors are added and the established ones up their game. It’s difficult to pick a “best” author in this kind of shifting territory.

Brayden has lasted more than six years in this pressure environment and continues to write, just getting better. She writes lesbian romances and her readers love her sweet (not syrupy) love stories, smart dialogue and richly detailed settings.

A lot of her books have to do with the theater/dancing, so if you like sweet F/F love stories and the theater this author is for you.

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Published by S.E. White

Currently unpublished, SE White is an author living deep in the query trenches. For now, come along to find hope, humor, tips, tricks and encouragement for your own writing road. Any and all bookworms are welcome here! When she’s published, you can expect books full of quirky characters and tropes done well.
As Lili Draguer, SE White is published by eXtasy Books. She is an author and fan of erotic romance. Her favorite thing to write is a love story full of steamy sparks that lead to a happily ever after—no cheating!
View all posts by S.E. White

Authors who belong to the genre that includes shapeshifter erotica (not kidding) don’t get to judge. So glad we convinced you it might be worth a shot! I hope your chosen authors turn out to be great for you.
Happy reading 🙂

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